Oleksandr Usyk to make heavyweight debut against Carlos Takam on May 25

Bradley Cullen

Oleksandr Usyk to make heavyweight debut against Carlos Takam on May 25 image

Oleksandr Usyk just made the jump up.

The undisputed cruiserweight king will make his heavyweight debut and put his undefeated record (16-0, 12 KOs) up against Carlos Takam (36-5-1, 28 KOs) on May 25 at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, live on DAZN.

Join DAZN and watch Canelo vs. Jacobs on May 4

Vacating his WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF cruiserweight titles, Usyk will look to cement his fighting legacy by moving up to heavyweight and facing a tough opponent in Takam for an instant indicator on where the Ukrainian stands in the division.

“May 25 marks a major moment in my career when I move to the heavyweight division,” said Usyk in a Matchroom Boxing press release statement. “At cruiserweight, I did it all and became the undisputed champion and that is my goal now in the heavyweights. This is the ultimate challenge and it begins on May 25 against Carlos Takam. It’s a tough first fight, but I need to test myself against world class opposition on my new road to undisputed.”

Usyk had a great 2018, as he won the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion and hoist the tournament’s Muhammad Ali trophy. The 32-year old’s last fight at cruiserweight was at the O2 Arena in London in November, when he scored an emphatic eighth-round knockout of Tony Bellew.

MORE ABOUT DAZN

•  Meet DAZN, the first dedicated live sports streaming service

•  What sports are live-streamed on DAZN?

•  How much does DAZN's live sports streaming service cost?

“Usyk has achieved everything in the cruiserweight division — I am ready to welcome him to the new world of heavyweight boxing,” Takam said. “I can promise that this will be a great fight and I will provide Usyk with a huge test on his heavyweight debut. I have huge ambitions of my own in the division and this fight will provide me with the chance to prove that.”

The Cameroonian-French heavyweight enters this bout coming off of a seventh-round TKO victory over Senad Gashi in December, having suffered defeats against Dereck Chisora and Anthony Joshua in his two previous outings before that.

Bradley Cullen